photo by foodandwaterwatch.orgStand up for farmers’ rights today in Philadelphia! Join Food and Water Watch, and other fair food organizations like Slow Food Philly, Farm To City, and Fresh Buy Local, to fight forFair Farm Rules to be implemented in Pennsylvania.

The Fair Farm Rules of 2008 (or the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration Rules) address contract fairness in the livestock and poultry industries. The rules were intended to make it easier for farmers to compete with corporate agribusiness, so that fresh, sustainable food could be more accessible to the public. Although adopted in 2008, the industry has become more consolidated and the intervention by giant poultry and livestock operations has successfully stopped these rules from being enforced.

Now, with Farm Bill 2012 on the horizon, the 2008 Fair Farm Rules need to be widely enforced on a government level to provide the greatest benefit to small-scale producers. Other cities, like Allentown, Pa. and Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo in Michigan are holding similar rallies, to encourage the rules’ enforcement.

While the Fair Farm Rules are intended for livestock and poultry farms, they have the potential to impact all agriculture, says Emily Heffling of Food and Water Watch.

“There is consolidation across the boards in agriculture. This [rally] could serve as a domino effect for other areas of agriculture, either positive or negative.”

Heffling hopes that the rally’s success is the first step toward contract fairness for local farms.

Join Food and Water Watch to urge Senator Casey to stand up for Pennsylvania small farm rights. For more information visit foodandwaterwatch.org.